this makes us one of the longest-producing african-american companies in the country. what they liked to say is african-american stories are american stories. i think in saying that what they are saying is that african-american stories belong to all of us. whatever our background, wherever we may come from, because we are such an important thread in the fabric of american culture. >> yet you plan changes. you plan nuances to the kind of things that you would like to do. >> absolutely. i believe we have reached a point where this thing that we talk about, multiculturalism that we have kicked around like a can football, i think we are finally ready as a nation, as a culture, certainly in the bay area to embrace that idea and to examine the complexities of what that means. so what i'm really interested in are the places where our lives interconnect and overlap. i'm interested in definitions of art and culture that are not exclusive and don't emphasize what makes us different, but are inclusive, and emphasize what we have in common and what we share as members of the human